Thomas s



(MOdeL) T. S. SPIVEY.

PERMUTATION LOOK.

No. 371,284. Patented Oct. 11, 1887.

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UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS S. SPlVEY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE VICTOR AND LOCKCOMPANY, OF SAMEPLACE.

PERMUTATlON-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371,28 dated October 8Applioation filed July 21, 1887. Serial No. 244,863.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS S. SPIVEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton, State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful ImprovementsinPermutation-Locks,of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

The first part of my invention comprises a novel arrangement of devicesfor changing the combinations of a set of tumblers used with ordinarypermutation-locks, the details ofsaid devices and the method ofoperating them being hereinafter more fully described.

The second part of my invention consists in attaching a plate, hub, ordisk to a lockspindle, which disk is provided with teeth or otherretaining devices adapted to temporarily engage a pointer that isjournaled upon said spindle in such a manner as to be swung around Whenthis pointer is engaged with the proper tooth or other retainer of theaforesaid plate or hub, the correct combination is effected in a fewmoments; but by simply applying said pointer to some other tooth aperson is misled in regard to the position of the lock tumblers, ashereinafter more fully described.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is afront elevation of a lock-caseembodying my improvements, the central part of said case being brokenaway to expose a portion of the gear-wheels. Fig. 2 is a horizontalsection of saidcase, taken in the plane of the spindles. Fig. 3 is afront elevation of the shiftable pointer, the spindle upon which it ishung be ing sectioned. Fig. at is an enlarged horizontal section of saidpointer and its accessories. Fig. 5 is 'an enlarged transverse sectionshow' ing said pointer engaged with the crown or contrate teeth of thespindle-hub.

A represents a portion of a permutationlock case, and B is asupplementary case se-- cured to the exterior of the former, these casesbeing traversed by the main spindle C, which latter may be provided withany desired arrangement of driving disk and revolving tumblers, asindicated by the dotted lines 0.

Located within the outer case B, and firmly attached to main spindle C,is a gear-wheel, D, that engages with another wheel, E, secured (ModeL)to the secondary spindle F, the latter being journaled in the shiftabledial-plate G. This plate has a graduated circle, the divisions of whichmay be either lettered or numbered, as indicated at 2, 4, 6, and 8.Furthermore, the dial-plate is provided with two diametricallyoppositelugs, H and I, wherewith said plate G is attached to the case B by meansof the screws h t, which screwt' passes through a horizontal slot, 1'',of lug I, as seen in Fig. 2.

Adapted to sweep around in front of the dial is a pointer, J, whoseinner end is screwthreaded at j to engage with either one of a series ofperipheral screw-threaded sockets, 7c,- of a hub, K, which hub is eitherattached to or constitutes an integral part of the secondary spindle F.

L is a horizontal slot in the case B to permit the proper lateralshifting of the dial.

The operation of these devices is as follows: When all the parts are intheir normal positions,the screws 71. z prevent lateral shifting of thedial G, and cause the gear-wheels D E to engage with each other in orderthat the proper turning of either of the spindles C or F will operatethe tumblers o, in the usual manner, for the purpose of obtaining thecorrect combination, preparatory to which the detachable pointer J isscrewed into the appropriate socket is of the hub K. These sockets maybe either lettered or numbered, and the custodian of the lock mustremember the letter or number of the socket to be used, and also thepeculiar combination of letters or numbers on the dial. Therefore, whenthe pointer is properly applied to the hub and the spindle operated torestore the combination, the look isat once opened in the ordinary way.To change the combination the screw t is loosened and the other screw,h, is completely disengaged, so as to permit such a shifting of the dialto the left as will throw the wheel E out of gear with the wheel D.\Vheel E is then turned in either direction and dial G is shifted to theright, thereby bringing a new set of teeth in gear with the otherwheel,D, and changing the combination accordingly, after which act saiddial is held immovably in place by the screws h 11.

From the above description it is evident that a change is effected everytime a new tooth of wheel E is engaged with wheel D, and after ICO allthe teeth of wheel E have-been used the wheel D may be shifted one toothat a time, thus affording an almost unlimited number of combinations. Asthe detachable pointer J is liable to be lost or misplaced, and as it isnot desirable to have this device permanently applied to the secondaryspindle, I sometimes adopt the expedient shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5,wherein said spindle is shown provided with a circumferential groove, f,around which freely turns: the coupling m of a pointer, M, the latterbeing somewhat flexible at the part m. The inner face of this pointerhas a detent, N, adapted to engage with either one of the crown orcontrate teeth of a hub-plate or disk, 0, secured to the spindle F. Theinterdental spaces between these teeth are either lettered or numbered,as shown at 2 4 6 in Fig. 3. To use this device the custodian of thelock turns the pointer M around until it reaches what he knows to be theproper tooth,

- 0, and the detent N is'then allowed to engage therewith. The spindleis then turned in the usual manner, the pointer M traveling around theface of the dial and thus enabling the combinations to be restored in afew minutes; but when the safe or other receptacleis closed and lockedthe custodian springs the pointer suffieiently to disengage itsdetentNfrom the tooth of the hub, and said pointer is then turned aroundat random in either direction, and its detent is allowed to snap intoany tooth that may be convenient. It is evident, however, that thisisnot the proper tooth that enables the combinations to be set up; henceit is apparent that the device M now acts as a false pointer,whichefi'eotually misleads any person who attempts a clandestine openingofthe look.

In the drawings the wheels D E are shown as being of the same diameter;but for some kinds of looks it may be desirable to make them ofdifferent diameters; in which event either one of the wheels wouldserve'as a mas ter-wheel and the other wheel as a pinion. Finally, theknob or handle may be omitted from either of the spindles, as it is amatter of no consequence which wheel serves as the driver; but a pair ofknobs is preferred, because it adds to the complicated appearance of thelock, and leads an uninitiated person to suppose that both of them mustbe operated to restore the combinations of the tumblers.

I claim as my invention 1. A permutation-lock provided with a mainspindle, O, the tumblers, and a gear-wheel, D, carried by said spindle,in combination with the shiftable dial G,secondary spindle F, carriedthereby, a pointer upon said spindle F, and a gear-wheel, E, alsosecured upon the latter spindle and engaging with the wheel D,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A permutation lock provided with a spindle having a plate or diskattached thereto, which plate is furnished with a series of retainers,incombination witha swinging pointer journaled upon said spindles andengaging with one of said retainers, for the purpose described.

3. The combination, in a permutation-lock, of grooved spindle F f,pointer M m, journaled thereon, detentN upon said pointer, and

a contratewheel, O 0, adapted to engage the pointer, for the purposedescribed.

In testimony whereofI affix my signature in presence of two witnesses,

THOMAS S. SPIVEY.

Witnesses: v

JAMES H. LAYMAN, SAML. S. CARPENTER.

